OpenMarine

Hello,

I have OpenPlotter installed on a Raspberry 4 and also already connected a few sensors (GPS,temperature, air pressure). Now I would like to integrate a depth sounder. To this topic I ask myself these questions:

1. how does it work with the echosounder with OpenPlotter in principle? Do I import the data for the depth indication in OpenPlotter directly from a transducer? Or do I need a terminal device in addition to the transducer, which interprets the depth data and from which OpenPlotter then fetches the data via NMEA?  
 
2) Which specific echosounders with in-hull transducers can be integrated into OpenPlotter reasonably easily? (By "easy" I mean that you can do it even as an interested layman who is not a programmer).

Who can help me, an OpenPlotter beginner, with these questions and explain to me how this works and possibly also give me tips on which devices I need?

Many thanks in advance,
Rüdiger

Hi Rüdiger,

Most commonly, transducers either
(1) convert their data onto a standard bus such as NMEA2000, for example https://www.p2marine.com/airmar-nmea2000...ransducers
(2) like (1), but connects to NMEA0183: https://www.p2marine.com/airmar-nmea-018...ransducers
(3) connect to a conversion unit that then has s standard bus interface, example: ITC-5 as component in this package: https://seatech.systems/product/raymarin...systempack

Thus the important question is: which interface standard does your transducers connects to.

Any NMEA0183 device connects to the Raspberry PI running Open Plotter as a serial interface, usually through a serial-to-USB converter.

Something as simple as this oftenn works just fine: https://www.amazon.com/Sipytoph-CP2102-C...s=1&sr=8-4

Or if you have challenges with grounding throughout your boat you may have to resort to using a differential signal based serial to USB converter. This differential signal standard is called RS422. So an RS422-to-USB adaptor like
https://www.newegg.com/p/1XZ-00RR-00001?...YT8FK86950

If your transducers connects to an NMEA2000 network, you need to have an NMEA2000-to-USB adaptor, examples:
https://actisense.com/products/ngt-1-nme...interface/
or you get a NMEA2000 hat to put on your Raspberry PI:
https://openplotter.readthedocs.io/en/la...n_app.html

Enjoy the ride. Lots of things to learn!

Hallo beercansailor!

Big thanks for the quick, informative and understandable answer! It's info like this that helps me, as a beginner and IT layman, get familiar with OpenPlotter and the many great applications you can master with it.

Two things are clear to me now:
1. it depends on the "right" transducer.
2. an additional echo sounder terminal is not necessary. For that I have my Raspberry and OpenPlotter.

So, now I'll first have a look at the links you recommended.
Thanks again!
Rüdiger

(2021-12-07, 11:37 AM)aliento-rvs Wrote: [ -> ]Hallo beercansailor!

Big thanks for the quick, informative and understandable answer! It's info like this that helps me, as a beginner and IT layman, get familiar with OpenPlotter and the many great applications you can master with it.

Two things are clear to me now:
1. it depends on the "right" transducer.
2. an additional echo sounder terminal is not necessary. For that I have my Raspberry and OpenPlotter.

So, now I'll first have a look at the links you recommended.
Thanks again!
Rüdiger

Hi Rüdiger, if you want to buy in Germany, please have a look at SVB-Bremen
https://www.svb.de/de/kategorie/elektron...soren.html

Immer eine Handbreit Wasser unter dem Kiel

Ralf